The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-26
ruLrops FAMOUS STEAMBOAT.
DR.. Porry's Account of Its Trial TriI
Down the Hudson.

Down the HUDSON.
DIR. William Perry. the Oldest gradu
ate of Harvard College, who died
Exeter fow days ago, was the sol
survivor of tho passengers who were OF
Robert Fulton's little steamboat wher
she made her famous trial trip dowr
the Hudson in 1907. He became
passenger on tho boat through acct
dent. He had left Schenectady, where
he had been Mt school. on his was home
for the holidays and after tedious
stage.ridc had reached Albany. Al
this time railroads had not been intro
duced in this country and in their stead
Journeys were made by the old-fashion-
ed stagc-coach, and, where naviga-
ton was possible, by river boats MS
they were called. which made trips
regularly from point to point. Such
boats made trips up from New York &c
Albany, and back, and by this way DR..
Perry was TO travel. These packets
were clumsy affairs and depended en-
tirelv upon the wind. The journey
was long and the passengers often late
ut their points of destination. Arriving
at Albany young Perry found that no
boat would leave for several days rs
the vessel, which was billed to leave
that day, had not yet arrived from her
previous trip. BY good chance he hap.
pened to overhear some men talking
about a new invention called a steam
boat which was to make trial trip to
| New York the next day.
He decided TO be one of her passen.
gers, and his story OF the first trip Of
the first steamboat in America will al
ways be remembered by those who have
heard it. The doctor used TO declare
that the name of the boat was not, as
has been almost universally stated. the
Clermont. 1t was Katherine of Cler-
mont, named in honor of Fulton's wife,
Katherine Livingston. of Clermont,
New York. There was lady of Con.
necticut under young Pcrry's charge,
on her way TO New York City, and she
agreed 10 go by the steamer. 1t took
her so long, however, to get ready that
morning - it was Aug. 10, 1907 = that
when they reached the wharf the boat
was steaming off. With an accommo-
dation that hasn't served to establish a
precedent for these later years, the oili'
GERS stopped the vessel and sent back q
small boat to take the two travellers on
board.
At first everything went smoothly,
but in the afternoon the steamboat ran
aground, and it was necessary to wait
for high tide before she could float off.
After that the boat got into more seri
Gus trouble, but Mr.. Perry was moi
then on board. At Kingston he had
decided to stop-over and visit his broth
er. The Katherine of Clermont con.
tinued her course, but had travelled
only q few miles farther when hor boiler
burst and she had to be lad up for re
pairs for several days. Soon after
wards she began regular trips between
New York and Albany.
AS to the appearance of the first
steamer, DR.. Perry used to say that II
was q rudely built craft, about 1876 feet
long and 20 feet wide, with side paddle.
wheels and sheet-iron boiler. She
could make about six miles an hour.
The machinery of the boat was clumsy
and made such noise as to Fighter
the cattle which were grazing along
the banks of the river. At some places
the people who gathered at the bank.
toSce the craft were also frightened
AID fled when they beheld the thing
gliding along with no visible power te
make it move. II is interesting te
note. in connection with the story Of
DR.. Perry. that great Britain did not re-
ceive her first practicable steamboat
until 1912. five years after the tria
trip of Fulton's first boat IL was no
until 1919 that the efficiency of the puff
ing craft for transportation between
the two countries was made manifest
Then the little Savannah steamed
across the ocean. making the trip II
twenty-six days. Now the trip can b
made in six days. Manchester Union.